


power & control

by RonnieMinor



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Feels, Other, Pack Dynamics, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-22
Updated: 2012-07-22
Packaged: 2017-11-10 11:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/465870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonnieMinor/pseuds/RonnieMinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erica found it surprisingly easy to get used to getting her way.  And that’s why, when it all crumbled underneath her feet, she fell so very hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	power & control

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from the song of the same name by 'Marina and The Diamonds'

Erica found it surprisingly easy to get used to getting her way. It took a couple of weeks, maybe less, for her to expect people to do what she wanted. Power is addictive at the best of times, and to get so much all at once… well, it was hardly surprising that it became her drug. After years of being out of control, she was finally in the driver’s seat and she planned to make the best of it. 

Perhaps the clothes were a little too much – the attitude definitely was. Erica didn’t care though; she had a _gift_ and nobody could take it away from her. She’d spent her whole life being, at best, the girl that nobody noticed, tucked away at the back of the class getting on with her work and keeping quiet, and at worst, the girl who was videoed while she pissed herself in class during a seizure. Now, she was strong and powerful and _beautiful_. She turned heads, drawing attention for all the _right_ (wrong) reasons. She was going to dress however she pleased, do whatever she wanted (with Derek’s permission) and the consequences could be damned. 

And that’s why, when it all crumbled underneath her feet, she fell so very hard. 

Sophomore year passed in the blink of an eye. Junior year went by similarly fast, and suddenly it was time for prom. Erica went dress shopping with her mother, who was scared of the daughter who stopped needing her overnight and who had turned into someone she didn’t recognise. Her mom thought perhaps they’d bond over this; perhaps Erica might show a glimpse of the sweet, shy girl she’d been before the seizures stopped. Erica could read it all in her mom’s body language; could practically _smell_ it on her. It made her laugh. 

The dress was white. It draped around Erica’s body like a second skin, gliding over the curves and hugging her in all the right places. It was softly gathered – almost Grecian-looking – and it made her look like a goddess, just stepped down from Mount Olympus for the night. Her mom’s eyes had filled with tears when Erica had stepped out of the changing room in it, and the shop assistant had caught her breath. It cost four hundred dollars and was bought on her mom’s credit card, without argument or complaint. 

Isaac picked her up in a tux, his usual wolf’s grin on his face. The two of them had grown as thick as thieves since their transformation, always getting into trouble together. People thought they were fucking. Neither of them bothered to set those people right, but it wasn’t true. Isaac was like a brother to Erica; like her twin. Nothing more. 

He carefully pushed the red rose he’d bought her into her hair. ‘You look beautiful’, he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. ‘Like Aphrodite.’ She grinned up at him. 

‘You always know exactly the right thing to say, Zach.’ She raised her eyebrows a little at him, butterflies beginning to stir in the pit of her stomach. ‘Do you think it’ll work?’ 

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I think you’ll have to ask to find out. But for the record, if I was him, I would.’ 

She smiled, feeling her unshakeable confidence returning. ‘Good. Let’s go.’ 

And so they went, getting into Isaac’s car – paid for by the state, once he’d been cleared of his father’s murder and the abuse had been investigated – and drove to prom. Neither of them had bothered to bring any alcohol, as their tolerance was too high for it make much difference. It was one of the small pitfalls of the bite and a price that Erica was still more than willing to pay for the benefits. 

They turned heads as soon as they walked through the doors, and Erica felt the usual thrill of satisfaction. Even now, she still revelled in the attention directed her way. And when Scott McCall and his friends looked at her, she almost laughed. They might be pack – in the loosest sense of the word – but there was no love lost between the two groups. The fact that she had power over them… it was heady, to say the least. 

She spent the rest of the night breaking hearts and wreaking havoc in a million small ways. Isaac watched her with a grin, sharing in her delight vicariously. He liked to let her have her fun, and she loved him for it. It was one of the many reasons that they’d survived this far. It was one of the main reasons that Boyd hadn’t. 

She didn’t dwell on the thought of Boyd for long though – tonight was no place for ghosts. Instead she made the most of the evening, and when in was done, Isaac drove her to the den. He squeezed her hand as she got out of the car, giving her a nod. She smiled at him, all confidence on the outside and tightly contained nerves within. 

‘It’ll be ok’, she reassured him. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ Then she watched him drive away and tried to keep her hands from shaking. 

Derek was inside. He looked up as she came in, seeming surprised. 

‘What are you doing here?’ 

Erica shrugged. ‘I came to see you. I thought you might want some company.’ 

And although she’d used every trick he’d taught her, something must have slipped past her control, because his eyes narrowed. Then he sighed, put down the piece of paper in his and stood up, walking over to her. She held her breath as he cupped her face in his hands, more tender than she’d ever known him to be. She gazed at him, unable to read anything in his eyes. Then, slowly, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a moment too long. 

‘I’m sorry’, he said. ‘I can’t give you what you want.’ And he let her go. 

Erica felt helplessness rise up and threaten to drown her. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. 

‘Why not? You don’t _know_ that. You can’t _know_ that! You’ve never even _tried_ ’, she shouted at him, despair making her reckless. He still turned away and began to walk outside. 

‘He’s not coming back!’ she called. ‘He’s _dead_. You can’t just go around pretending that nothing’s happened forever. You’re the Alpha!’ 

He whipped around to look at her, eyes glowing red. She cowered instinctively. 

_‘You forget your place’_ , he growled. And then he was gone. 

Erica stared after him in shock, tears rolling unchecked down her face. After a long minute or two, she sat down with a _thump_ , landing heavily on the couch Derek had been sitting on when she came in. She ached with misery, feeling like someone had scooped all her insides out, leaving her hollow and barren as the desert. 

Her gaze caught on the piece of paper that Derek had been reading when she came in. It was a cutting from the local newspaper, the Beacon Hills Herald. _Monument to Sheriff’s son to be unveiled in time for Junior Prom_ , the headline read. And there, underneath, was a picture of Stiles’ face, caught in some moment like the aftermath of a lacrosse victory. He was grinning from ear to ear, looking happy and carefree. Erica could almost _hear_ him laughing, and it made her weep even harder. 

_I never stood a chance,_ she thought. And that was the moment where she realised that for all her power, there were some things that would always be beyond her control.

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh I'm not used to writing in the past tense.


End file.
